In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," the boy wizard and his friends find themselves on a "grim beginning-of-the-end odyssey that has a very different feel from any of (the franchise's) predecessors -- a development slightly more disconcerting than it is welcome," writes THR film critic Todd McCarthy.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint return in the latest installment of J.K. Rowling's magical tale, which Warner Bros. is releasing at midnight Thursday amid expectations of a $100 million-plus weekend and a possible $400 million haul over the length of its theatrical run.